Category: Interviews

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show from September 30th, 2017, Don talks with Niki Tudge, the founder of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG). We discuss the mission of the PPG, its Guiding Principles, and its members which include pet parents as well as pet care professionals such as trainers, boarding kennels, daycares, groomers, veterinarians and more. The PPG offers divisions for those interested in dogs, cats, horses, and shelter, and rescue work. Lastly, we discuss the latest work of the advocacy division which launched the Shock-Free Coalition ( http://www.shockfree.org ) on September 25th, which is “…an initiative that aims to build an international movement committed to eliminating shock devices once and for all in the care, training, and management of pets.”

If you are a pet care professional, a pet parent/owner/guardian, or someone that cares deeply about the humane treatment of pets, you will not want to miss this show.

I hope that after you listen to the show, you will join us and sign the pledge!

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show from July 29, 2017, Kate and Don interview Kymythy Schultze, a Clinical Nutritionist, and Animal Health Instructor, and the author of Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats: The Ultimate Diet, The Natural Nutrition No-Cook Book, and Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purrfect Health. Kymythy’s first book Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats has long been the first book I recommend for clients that want to prepare a homemade diet for their pets. I like that it is short, simple, and easy to understand while at the same time being complete. Kate and I recently read Kymythy’s book, The Ultimate Diet and Natural Nutrition for Cats and were equally impressed.

We start our show by asking Kymythy how she became interested in nutrition and she explains how her interest started with her health problems which improved as she began paying attention to what she ate. As her health improved, Kymythy began looking at how better nutrition could improve the life of her pets and the wildlife she rehabilitated. Kymythy went on to become a Certified Clinical Nutritionist for humans and then studied animal nutrition at Cornell University’s school of veterinary medicine. Kymythy notes that while her formal education was invaluable, she has also found that like with so many other things, common sense plays a huge role in nutrition.

Kate asked about common nutritional traits between dogs and cats. Kymythy noted that both cats and dog carnivores, but that the dogs are more opportunistic and will sometimes eat things that are not good for them. One only needs to look at their physical anatomy to tell that the dog and cat are predatory carnivores.

We discuss the terms “biologically appropriate food” and “species appropriate nutrition” and what they mean. Kymythy explains how nature and evolution have designed animals to eat specific things. Cats and dogs are designed to eat meat. From their canine teeth to their digestive system they have evolved to kill, eat, and digest food that may even be teeming with bacteria.

In her latest book, Kymythy talks about a reader in Scotland who expressed concern about the big pet food companies, many who actively deny the fact that cats and dogs are carnivores, and the influence these companies have on what veterinary students are taught about nutrition.

We asked Kymythy to tell us about the nutrition classes she took at Cornell. She expressed concern, which we share that so many of the “self-described experts” and veterinary nutritionists are being trained by the pet food companies that promote heavily processed food. When these students go on to become veterinarians, they then go on to promote foods from these same companies. Kymythy noted that only one of her professors at Cornell was NOT a paid employee of a pet food company. One has to wonder how these professors can be unbiased in what they teach.

Kymythy told us that real, fresh food was never discussed in her classes at Cornell. The only foods discussed were highly processed commercial pet food. I have noted some of Kymythy’s comments about her Cornell experience below.

“Food, in its natural form, really wasn’t discussed.” “How nutrition was approached was all about excess and deficiency. About specific nutrients like calcium, phosphorous, zinc, copper, that sort of thing. It wasn’t about food.” “We didn’t really learn much about food. We learned about products, and excess and deficiency.”

“It was a real eye-opening experience for me, it really was, going to Cornell, because it was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought we were going to be talking about food. Because I consider that nutrition. And if we’re gonna talk about nutrients let’s talk about nutrients from real food. It really surprised me that really was not included at all. It was more talking about individual nutrients in excess or deficiency states and products, what products to use. That was the bigee. It wasn’t that a dog or cat may need more of this type of food, it was what product would be best to use in this case.“

In segment two we focus on cats, asking what nutrients they need to be healthy. Kymythy explained that if we look at what many of our cats do when left on their own, kill and consume small rodents and birds, the answer is pretty obvious. Their natural behavior tells us they need muscle meat, organ meat, and bones. The best diet for our cats is one that will mimic that as closely as possible. Kymythy mentions the last cat of hers that passed lived to be 32 years old on such a diet. She notes that having cats live into their late 20’s is the norm for her. Kymythy stressed that length of life should not be our only concern and that quality of life is equally important. The quality of the nutrition we provide for our pets plays a huge role in the quality of their lives.

Our discussion then shifts to water as a nutrient and its extreme importance to cats. Unfortunately, processed food does not contain water in the necessary quantities to meet a cat’s needs. Because of their low thirst drive, acts may not ingest the amount of water they need to be in optimal health. That is why cats need to have wet food in their diet. A natural diet, like a piece of meat, would have a high moisture content compared to a bowl of kibble with very little moisture. If your cat is going to a water bowl frequently it is likely they are not getting enough water in their food and may be dehydrated.

Kymythy also discusses how young kittens imprint on food and how it can be difficult to change a cat’s diet as they get older. Cats imprinted on kibble can almost become addicted to dry food, which is not in their best interest. While transitioning to a better diet and be difficult, Kymythy has never had a cat that she could not transition to a more nutritious food.

In the third segment of the show, Kate asks Kymythy if a cat that has been fed kibble all its life will have difficulty digesting a raw food. Kymythy indicates that feeding a poor diet can have a negative effect on the gut flora; probiotics, and enzymes. She explains that simply adding appropriate probiotics and digestive enzymes to the new food may help them make the transition.

Kymythy summarized the initial steps people can take in improving their cat’s health.

Kate and Don talk with author Eileen Anderson about her book Remember Me – Loving and Caring for a Dog with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. Like the author, Don and Kate have both lived with older dogs that developed cognitive dysfunction or what is often generically referred to as doggie dementia. No matter how old your dog is, we encourage you to tune into this show, so you are better prepared to recognize signs that your older dog needs some help.

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show on May 6th, 2017 Kate and Don interview Kohl Harrington the director of the new documentary film Pet Fooled – A Look Inside A Questionable Industry. Pet Fooled offers a critical review of the pet food industry, and it is not pretty. Listen to this show and learn why big pet food companies may not be as concerned about your pet’s health as they want you to believe.

Issues explored in the film and on this episode of The Woof Meow Show include; regulatory lapses which led to the pet food recalls of 2007, the high-powered marketing used to promote food that is not biologically appropriate for cats or dogs, confusing but legal advertising that makes pet foods look better than they are, and the major pet food companies problematic influence over veterinary education and the regulation of pet foods, and more.

Green Acres’ will offer four free screenings of Pet Fooled – A Look Inside A Questionable Industry on Saturday, May 13th at 3:30 PM, Saturday, May 20th at 9:30 AM, Wednesday, June 7th at 6:30 PM and Monday, June 26th at 6:30 PM. Each screening will be followed by a question and answer period. Seating is free but limited, so please call us at 945-6841 to reserve your seat.

In this episode of The Woof Meow Show on April 22nd, 2017 Don interviews Dr. Katie Carter, the owner of River Road Veterinary Hospital in Orrington, Maine. Dr. Carter talks about how and why she became interested in veterinary medicine, her preparations for college and veterinary school, and about her experiences at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine in Auburn, AL. Then they discuss Dr. Carter’s first experiences as a practicing veterinarian in a mixed-animal practice in Pennsylvania, her return to Maine, where she worked at the Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic, and then Dr. Carter’s purchase of River Road Veterinary Hospital in Orrington. Dr. Carter primarily sees dogs and cats, but she also sees a wide variety of exotic pets, everything from small, furry mammals, to amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

Kate takes over the hosting duties for this show as she interviews Don about his experiences as a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner. They talk about the Bach Flower Remedies, including Bach Rescue Remedy, discuss how the remedies are used, and how Don became interested in their use with animals. Kate asks Don about his training as a practitioner and the pets he has helped. They wrap things up with a discussion of which remedies Don believes would be useful in the home of any pet lover.

< A version of this article was published in the October 2016 issue of Down East Dog News>

Don and Muppy in class*

I am often asked by clients how and why I became interested in holistic pet care. It was not a sudden revelation for me but has been a journey of many steps.

Holistic is a term that is thrown around a great deal, and often people attribute its meaning to be natural, healthy, or “good for you.” Merriam-Webster defines “holistic as – “relating to or concerned with complete systems rather than with individual parts. relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts <holistic medicine attempts to treat both the mind and the body> <holistic ecology views humans and the environment as a single system>.” Holistic simply means that we consider the whole individual organism and the environment where it lives. Complicated, but also pretty basic.

Gus, our first Cairn Terrier, was the catalyst for our first steps on this holistic

Don and Gus in WI

journey. Before he was a year old, he was suffering from chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) which his veterinarian felt was related to an unidentified nutritional imbalance. That led to our striving to continually learn about pet nutrition to find a food that would cure Gus’ condition. It was a long journey that involved many different foods, fed singly and in combination, and even homemade diets formulated from recipes in Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. Gus’ UTIs finally stopped when we switched to a dog food made by Wysong which we fed in conjunction with specific supplements for his condition. We learned more about pet food and a holistic approach to wellness from Dr. Wysong, which eventually led us to start to explore raw diets for pets.

Paula and I attended our first seminar on raw diets for pets in 1998, started feeding raw to our dogs for at least one meal per day in 2000, and were selling raw diets at Green Acres by 2001. We continue to learn more about nutrition every year and have been feeding 100% raw for several years. We credit a raw diet to our Golden, Tikken, living for 16 years.

Appropriate nutrition is part of a holistic lifestyle, but it is not everything. Gus started having seizures, and when conventional medicine had done all it could to control the seizures, Paula started looking at other alternative treatments. She had read about homeopathy in Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, attended a seminar, and soon Gus’ was being treated homeopathically for epilepsy. About a year later Paula enrolled us both in a four-day seminar on veterinary homeopathy being taught by Dr. Charles Loops. It would be fair to say that I went along kicking and screaming.

Before moving to Maine to purchase Green Acres, I had a seventeen-year career in the medical device industry in a variety of managerial positions. I was trained in and believed in traditional, modern medicine. It had been my livelihood. Since homeopathy challenged some very fundamental scientific principles, I felt it was “quackery” on a grand scale. Less than three hours into the seminar I was convinced that there was something to homeopathy, and it was far from quackery. However, what convinced me most was how homeopathy cured my Golden Retriever when traditional medicine could not1.

As our journey continued, we would learn about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, herbs, chiropractic care, and essential oils. In 2002 I started formal training with the Bach Foundation, learning how to use the Bach Flower Remedies to treat emotional and behavioral issues with pets. In 2003 I completed my studies in England, becoming the first Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner in the America’s. Holistic practices continue to be my approach to wellness for myself, my pets, and even dog training.2 To learn more about my experiences, check out my podcast Holistic and Complementary Wellness for Pets – Our Personal Journey at http://www.greenacreskennel.com/blog/2016/10/08/podcast-holistic-and-complementary-wellness-for-pets-our-personal-journey

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Don Hanson is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) in Bangor. He is a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP), Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Associate Certified Cat Behavior Consultant (ACCBC) and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA). He produces and co- hosts a weekly radio show and podcast, The Woof Meow Show heard on The Pulse AM620 WZON and streamed at http://www.wzonradio.com/ every Saturday at 9 AM. A list of upcoming shows and podcasts of past shows can be found at www.woofmeowshow.com. Don also writes about pets at his blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.

This is the first in a series of shows on Holistic and Complementary Wellness for Pets. Kate and Don start by defining the term “holistic” and then discussing how it applies to dog training and simply living with a dog. They then discuss how and why they started to take a holistic approach to pet care, beginning with experiences with their pets and nutrition. The importance of exercise and mental enrichment are also addressed. Then they discuss their experiences with the following forms of complementary medicine; homeopathy, Bach flower remedies, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, and chiropractic. Lastly they mention the Holistic Wellness Day for Pets which will take place at The Green Gem Healing Oasis on Saturday, October 29th. This event will involve ten different seminars and several vendors of holistic products and services for pets. For more information go to the Green Acres Kennel Shop website at www.greenacreskennel.com/event

This is the second in a series of shows on Holistic and Complementary Wellness for Pets. In this show Kate and Don talk with Bette Schubert from Bravo Pet Foods. Bette tells how having her dog die after being fed a high-quality dog kibble contaminated with aflatoxin led her to teach herself about feeding a raw diet and starting Bravo Pet Foods. She discusses both the benefits and obstacles of feeding pets a raw diet and shares her experiences with pets that have benefited greatly from feeding a raw diet. Kate and Don also share their experiences feeding their pets a raw diet.

This morning FaceBook reminded of a series of blog posts from Dr. Sophia Yin that I shared four years ago. If you are an animal trainer or aspire to be one, if you are interested in training or psychology, or if you are a science history geek, I believe you will find these four articles enlightening.

These four links are to two blog articles on Dr. Sophia Yin’s blog page where she has published her interview with Bob and Marian Bailey about the best animal trainers in history. I was very fortunate to have attended the same seminar that Dr. Yin did and heard some of this important history firsthand and had an opportunity to learn from two of the best animal trainers in history; Marian and Bob Bailey. Thank you to Dr. Yin for publishing this interview and Thank you to Marian and Bob Bailey for all that you taught me..

The next two articles discuss some of the training accomplishments of Animal Behavior Enterprises where Keller Breland, and Marian and Bob Bailey did much of their pioneering training work with animals.